Receptacle for matches.



No. 824,995. PATBNTED JULY 3, 1906. G. A; LUSK. REGEPTAGLE FOR MATCHES.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.13,1905

11v VENTOR in: NORRIS pzrsns c0. WASHINGTON. nc.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

GEORGE A. LUSK, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CLAYTON R. LUSK, OF CORTLAND, NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1906.

Application filed December 13, 1905. Serial No. 291,534.

To all whom, it 'm/u/y concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. LUSK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Binghamton, in the county of Broome, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Receptacles for Matches, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the class of match safes or receptacles in which the body portion thereof is composed of vertical front and back walls united by side walls and provided at its bottom with an automatically-closing discharge-gate which is adapted to yield to the withdrawal of the matches one at a time from the receptacle.

The invention has more particularly reference to the match-safe shown in my Letters Patent No. 803,181, dated October 31, 1905.

The chief object of this invention is to provide a match safe or receptacle which shall be adapted to be constructed of any suitable material of the requisite stability and have its discharge-gate closed automatically by means independent of the aforesaid material and shall be relieved from liability of being broken or injured by excessive strain in the operation of removing the matches one at a time from the receptacle.

The object also is to provide simple and efficient means for guarding against clogging the receptacle by disarrangement of the matches during the process of depositing them therein.

A further object is to provide the matchsafe with a permanently-attached, and thus conveniently-accessible, match-igniting device which shall be shielded to obviate marrmg of the exterior of the match-safe and also arrest the flight of the match-heads accidentally broken from the matches in the operation of igniting them; and the object, furthermore, is to provide a match-safe which shall possess other advantages over my prior invention shown in my Letters Patent hereinbefore mentioned; and to that end the invention consists in the improved construction and combination of the component parts of the match-receptacle, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an isometric perspective view of a match-receptacle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a central vertical transverse section of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are lower end views of the match-receptacle, showing modifications of the detail construction of the discharge,

gate and its actuating-spring. Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view of one of said springs. Fig. 6 is a detached perspective view of the follower which is employed in the match-receptacle. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the disposal of said follower when not in use. Fig. 8 is a horizontal transverse section on line X X in Fig. 2 viewed in the direction of the arrow; and Figs. 9 and 10 are detached plan views of the gates shown in Figs. 4 and 3, respectively.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The body portion of the match-receptacle is constructed with an open bottom, as well as an open top, and consists of the vertical front and rear walls a and a, united by the side walls 1) Z), and may be composed of either metal or wood or other suitable material.

The bottom of the front wall a is provided with the excision or opening 0 for the introduction of the thumb of a person in withdrawing a match from the receptacle.

The top of the receptacle is open for depositing the matches therein.

The bottom of the receptacle is provided with the automatically-closing gate (1, which yields sufliciently to allow a person to depress it and withdraw a match from the receptacle by the thumb inserted in the opening 0 in the front wall a and by the finger inserted in the opening 0 in the gate (1.

The gate (Z is formed separate from the body portion of the receptacle and preferably of light sheet metal, and in order to economize in material I form it of two sections extending from the side walls I) b of the receptacle part way toward each other and leaving the opening a between them, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The said gate is hung at its rear edge to the rear wall 0. of the receptacle by means of suitable hinges, preferably formed of tongues e e, projecting from the aforesaid edge of the gate and passing through horizontal slots 6 e in the rear wall a and retained therein by the protruding ends of the tongues being bent to bear on the exterior of the wall a, as shown in Fig. 2.

To cause the gate to be automatically forced to its closed position, I employ a suitable spring or springs f, secured to the rear wall a and bearing with the free ends on the under side of the gate.

I preferably form the spring of suitable wire, the central or main portion f of which is secured in a folded portion 9 of the bottom edge of the rear wall a. The end portions f f of said wire are bent forward and upward from said central portion, so as to cause them to press on the gate 61 and force it upward to its closed position on the bottom of the front wall a.

The ends of the spring may be connected to the gate by passing through hooks or loops h, stamped out of the metal of the gate, as shown in Figs. 4, 8, and 9 of the drawings.

To insure the delivery of the matches one at a time from the receptacle and to also guard against injury to the gate at by excessive strain applied thereto in the operation of removing a match from the receptacle, I employ a suitable stop 1), which may be of any suitable shape and either attached to or formed on the receptacle and disposed to come in contact with and arrest the movement of the gate when depressed the necessary distance to allow a single matchto escape from the receptacle.

irepresents a shelf which is disposed longitudinally over the top of the opening 0 in the front wall a and is extended to the side walls I) b, said shelf forming a guard which prevents the receptacle from becoming clogged by matches dropping endwise into the opening 0 and lodging therein.

7' denotes a follower consisting of a plate which is normally disposed horizontal in the match-receptacle and movable vertically therein to ride on the matches contained in the receptacle. To support the plate normally in a horizontal position, I provide the rear wall a with a vertical slot 7c and form the rear edge of the plate j with a tongue Z, which passes through said slot and terminates in a l vertically-disposed T-shaped head Z, engag- I ing the exterior of the wall a.

To retain the plate in a convenient posi- I tion on the match-receptacle while removed from the interior thereof to allow matches to be deposited in the receptacle, I provide the i said plate with a hook n, by means of which it can be hung vertically on the top of the rear wall a, as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawy ings. The aforesaid engagement of the T- l shaped head prevents the plate from becom- I ing detached from the receptacle.

0 re resents a match-igniting device which is pref rably formed of serrations or corrugations of an outwardly-folded flange p on one of the side walls I). Said match-igniting device is shielded by means of an outwardlycurved flange p of the rear wall a, which flange extends forward beyond the aforesaid serrated or corrugated portion of the flange p to partly conceal the latter by the flange p. which is not subjected to the tarnish of its exterior. p stands freefrom the side of the match-receptacle, as shown at 0, to permit the match to be inserted and rubbed on the igniting device 0. Said portion of the. flange p also forms between it and the side of the receptacle a vertical flue 1*, which serves to arrest the flight of a match-head that happens to be broken off in the attempt of ighting the match.

To guard against the malicious removal of the match-receptacle, I provide the rear wall a of the body portion thereof with a slot .9 for receiving through it the closed end of a staple if, from which the match-receptacle is suspended, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

A suitable padlock u, applied to the protruding portion of said staple, serves to securely retain the match-receptacle in its position.

I/Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. The combination of a match-receptacle formed with an open bottom, a bottom plate yieldingly connected at one edge to the inner side of one of the walls of the receptacle above the lower edge of said wall, a spring forcing said plate to its closed position on the o posite wall, and a stop on the lower edge 0 one of the side walls of the receptacle limiting the movement of said bottom plate to its open position to restrict the delivery of the matches to one at a time and relieve said plate from excessive strain as set forth.

2. The combination of a match-receptacle formed with an open bottom, two separate bottom plates extending from the side walls of the receptacle part way to the center, and flexibly connected to the back wall, and a spring composed of a single piece of wire attached to the receptacle beneath the bottom plates and having two free ends bearing on the under sides of said bottom plates as set forth.

3. The combination of the match-receptacle provided with a slot, a removable plate normally supported horizontally upon the matches, a hook attached to said plate for hanging it on the top of the receptacle, and a tongue projecting from the plate and passing through the aforesaid slot and terminating in a T-shaped head as set forth.

4. The combination of a match-receptacle 1 having its body portion consisting of vertical The projecting portion of the flange ine losing 'Walls and provided With a Vertical and adapted to engage the top of said Wall slot in one of its Walls, a plate disposed norl and suspend the plate therefrom as set forth mally in a horizontal position in said body and shown.

portion and provided With a tongue passing GEORGE A. LUSK. [L. s.] through the said slot and terminating T- i Witnesses: shaped to engage the exterior ofthe slotted J. J. LAASS,

Wall and a hook projecting from said plate L. H. FULMER. 

